Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill squared off for the final debate for the New Jersey governor’s race Wednesday night in a tense bout filled with verbal fireworks.
But in between the war of words, the candidates’ respective demeanors and facial expressions spoke volumes, according to body language expert and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman.
Lieberman shared some of her observations with The Post about how the candidates conducted themselves during the hour-long debate in the contest that’s become neck-and-neck heading into Election Day.
The body language expert credited Ciattarelli for his relaxed, confident demeanor and Sherrill for knocking the Republican back on his heels with a vicious barb about his business dealings she likened to an “explosion.”
When the candidates took the stage, Lieberman took note of Ciattarelli’s “easy and friendly smile,” giving off an appearance and attitude “as though he was chatting with you in a bar, relaxed, with no tension.”
This was in stark contrast to Sherrill, whose “face was in a frozen scowl, with a furrowed brow. Her jaw was tight and her body was stiff,” observed Lieberman.
She pointed out several times Sherrill appeared angry, clenching her jaw when Ciattarelli asked about her military service record, referencing a US Naval Academy cheating scandal that has dogged her campaign in recent weeks.
The race has significantly tightened in recent weeks, with Sherrill leading by only 3.3 points after once leading by nearly double-digits. Neither side wanted to cede any more territory, so the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Lieberman pointed to a distinct crescendo in the tone and tenor of the debate about two-thirds of the way through, starting when the Republican businessman hit out at his opponent for her mutual endorsement of Democratic Socialist mayor’s race frontrunner Zohran Mamdani.
“She obviously knew this would not help her win votes in New Jersey. It was a one-two punch when he then said that she had missed a lot of votes in DC,” Lieberman said.
“You could sense her panic at possibly losing votes from the left.”
Next came what Lieberman referred to as the debate’s “explosion” — when the gloves came off and Sherrill delivered a “low blow” claiming Ciattarelli made millions from publishing “propaganda” saying opioids were safe.
She praised Ciattarelli for hitting back at the Democrat with a “shame on you,” and jabbing her about her support of open border policies under President Biden under which the fentanyl crisis significantly worsened.
Lieberman also observed that Sherrill, whose performance in the previous debate earned mixed reviews, hit her stride in this exchange.
The candidates calmed their tones and body language somewhat after the “explosion,” but continued trading haymakers for the remainder of the debate. Lieberman noted “the power dynamic had shifted” in Sherrill’s favor ever so slightly during the debate’s final few minutes.
Both Sherrill and Ciattarelli smiled broadly as they exited the stage, Lieberman pointed out, saying the Republican “seemed to have satisfied himself that he came out ahead in the end, despite the “explosion” that had knocked him down a peg.”
Sherrill, she said, “seemed self-satisfied in that she didn’t get knocked out.”
Voters will head to the polls in the Garden State on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
